Welcome to the National Center on Disability and Journalism, headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

The goal of the NCDJ is to provide support and guidance for journalists as they cover people with disabilities.

People with disabilities make up at least 19 percent of the U.S. population or 54.4 million people. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities.” However, it is widely acknowledged that people with disabilities are frequently under-covered by the mainstream press or that coverage is inaccurate or incomplete.

The NCDJ does not advocate a particular point of view; it is concerned with the journalistic principles of accuracy, fairness and diversity in news coverage. Reporters who cover disability issues as a beat and those who may occasionally report on people with disabilities or disability issues may find the center a useful resource for information and the exchange of ideas.

Resources on this site include:

Disability style guide with suggestions on appropriate language and short descriptions of disability-related terms

Tip sheets with best practices on interviewing people with disabilities and brief guides to specific disability topics

Disability library with news stories about people with disabilities.

Disability resources, including disability-related organizations, experts, advocates and people with disabilities who are willing sources for journalists.